Here to support

There is no road trip that is all straightaways, flat and devoid of debris. Pretty soon, you are bound to see potholes, bumps, and humps and what could be the worst thing that could happen, if not for engine failure, is a road closed sign.

An entrepreneur should be well versed with the road he is travelling on, making sure the maps are up to date, with the trunk equipped for contingencies, and enough fuel to get to the next gas station. Now, driving on freeways, there’s bound to be traffic going the same way. Some are fast, and big, others are small and faster, but maybe endangering themselves by going way beyond the speed limit. And there are some who seem oblivious of others, they hog the road, or it maybe, because they can afford to be, lumbering towards their destinations.

Entrepreneurs, we think along the lines of economics. We follow traffic rules and road signs, sometimes up to a fault. There is no need to take the lane for faster, bigger enterprises, so we must stick to our lane and make it to the next stop, so that we may get the upgrades we need to get to where we are going next.

The drive is long, and the weather may be unpleasant in the next few hours, but as long as businesses are prepared for stormy weather, the drive is not as hard as it looks. It’s where small and medium enterprise are more flexible, big enough to make the trip, small enough to go around road blocks, cost effective with the fuel consumption and more ready for accelerations and brakings on slippery roads. Besides, if the vehicles break down along the way, it does not take long to make the necessary repairs and get the engine running again, or replace the flats and zoom along.

Where others stop and get stranded because they are too big to move around, or others are too small they cringe at the propspects of riding through the flood, we, on the other hand can move with confidence, taking detours and choosing secondary streets to keep going.

We rock.

Because we know how to go with the flow. In the language of the streets, we chill, we cool.

Rough roads test the mettle of businesses. Shakes the chassis some. Confirms what the brochure tell you of the build and the specs. Kph to the liter. Kilometers to the tank.

The need to justify the title is imperative, and I’ll add some words of my own after the factual report. So, with these thoughts in mind, let us proceed…

The 9th of June 2015 witnessed the very first Outsourcing and Entrepreneur Night held in the busy business district, the Metropolitan Club. Even with the rather abrupt heavy rains and the standstill traffic that usually follows, a slight delay among the participants and attendees was evident, nevertheless the event got underway.

As mentioned, it came out as a sort of ping, a resonating sound or call that was heard and heeded, and they came. Informal yet not so casual, this event was organized by PhilCall‘s leaders and members, kicking off with Jojo Flores of Plug and Play Technology lively talk that covered a wide range of topics from startups to crowdsourcing and crowdfunding and anything that in between, continuing with Fred Chua‘s report on the current business climate among entrepreneurs and BPOs, the do’s and don’ts, followed by Demian Biscocho discussing the opensource software and hardware, with Willy Tanagon capping the talks with statistics and reports relevant to everyone. The requisite Q&A came after and it seemed that the 4 hours allotted for the event would be in need of extension. The turnout meant there will be events in the near future.

Author’s Notes: This was the very first time I attended anything of this sort – men and women in pressed clothes, bespectacled, carrying briefcases, obvious work-related worries on their faces, but composed and smiling. Mind you I have been a waiter in my youth, but has seen this on the serving side, the event being in the function rooms of the venue. And this is my very first job in BPO, so mostly what I know now about the industry, CBSI taught me, and is still teaching me. The event just showed me what hard work and persistence the industry needs. I was assisting with the presentations, and the facts and figures, the knowledge just flowed from the speakers themselves, it’s like being a hobbit among Elves and Wizards. It’s exactly like that, and I came home a bit more wiser and focused. CBSI is my family now, and I think I could contribute to its growth. – Eman

And it won’t be long until there will be pings resonating, calling the fellowship to once again get together and talk, discuss to build a stronger brotherhood to keep the business bonfires burning.

A bit over dramatic? Not at all. We work hard. But we know when to have fun.

“An organization, no matter how well designed, is only as good as the people who live and work in it.” Dee Hock